Pilots clinch playoff spot, hope to stay hot for postseason

He prefers being in the underdog's corner, but Peninsula Pilots coach Hank Morgan said he's preparing his Pilots to "peak at the right time" once playoffs start in three weeks.

The Pilots (34-11, first place in the Coastal Plain League East before Wednesday's game) are 12-2 since the beginning of July and have clinched a berth in the postseason thanks to an 8-7 road win Sunday over the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms.

It's a new situation for Morgan to have the team in the postseason so quickly. Before last season's championship-winning run, Morgan and the Pilots just snuck into the playoffs in 2011 and 2012 via the lower seeds before being bounced by Edenton and Fayetteville, respectively.

"It's more fun to be with the underdogs, I think," Morgan said Tuesday before his team's 2-0 loss at Edenton. "It'll be a new experience, but we've got to do what we can do to keep ourselves fresh and in the hunt. Two weeks is a long time."

While his Peninsula team finishes out the remaining 10 games of the regular season, Morgan said he's hoping to capitalize on how well his defense has been looking recently. The Pilots have committed a single error in the last five outings while holding their opponents to just over two runs a game.

Meanwhile, Morgan's pitching rotation of Brandon Vick (4-1), Matt Outman (5-0) and Ryan Lenaburg (4-0) has a combined earned run average of 1.93 as of Tuesday afternoon. Morgan said he intends on having at least a couple of staff days, where he'll let a number of pitchers take the mound for fewer innings.

He's also hoping to keep his Pilots fresh by rotating players around the outfield and behind the plate. Morgan said he's had no thought of giving his starters any extended rest because that could lead to complacency.

"It's good to keep them out there, because baseball players are routine people," he said. "They thrive from being in a routine and when you break that, you risk messing up their rhythm."

Shortstop Andres Nelo from Lee University has become the model of consistency Morgan likes to see from his infield. In 35 starts, Nelo leads the team in on base percentage (.454) and has stolen 11 bases while helping to turn 16 of the Pilots' 27 double plays.

His RBI double to right field Monday night spurred Peninsula to a breakout two-run fifth inning in Peninsula's 6-2 win over the Wilmington Sharks. It was the Pilots' seventh straight win and guaranteed Peninsula a season series sweep of the Sharks in front of a packed War Memorial Stadium.

"We put a target on our backs when we started playing this season," Nelo said. "You get the hype with playoffs, but it's still a normal baseball game. We've still got to play our kind of baseball to go out and win."

Morgan said he and his coaching staff will be combing through the scouting reports for rivals Edenton (31-15), Wilson (22-22) and Fayetteville (17-24), who will all be looking to fill out the last three playoff spots in the East. Morehead City, who is 12-3 since the All-Star break, is also on Morgan's radar as the playoff race continues to form.

"You can't just look at the stats for the whole year, because this kid may be .325 now, but he used to be .370 earlier," Morgan said. "What you've done yesterday, it doesn't matter. It doesn't help you win today."